Use of Ginsenoside M1 for preventing or treating gout

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a new use of ginsenoside M1 for treating or preventing gout.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the National Phase of PCT International Application No. PCT/CN2016/076626, filed on Mar. 17, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/134,227, filed on Mar. 17, 2015, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new use of ginsenoside M1 for treating or preventing gout.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gout is a kind of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Symptoms include pain, swelling and shiny redness over the affected joints.

Ginsenosides, the main active ingredients of ginseng, are known to have a variety of pharmacological activities, e.g. antitumor, antifatigue, antiallergic and antioxidant activities. Ginsenosides share a basic structure, composed of gonane steroid nucleus having 17 carbon atoms arranged in four rings. Ginsenosides are metalized in the body, and a number of recent studies suggest that ginsenoside metabolites, rather than naturally occurring ginsenosides, are readily absorbed in the body and act as the active components. Among them, ginsenoside M1 is known as one metabolite of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides via the gypenoside pathway by human gut bacteria. Until now, no prior art references report the effect of ginsenoside M1 in treatment of gout.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, it is unexpected found that ginsenoside M1 is effective in alleviating or delaying onset or progression of gout. Therefore, the present invention provides a new approach for treatment or prevention of gout in a subject.

In particular, the present invention provides a method for treating gout in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to the subject an amount of ginsenoside M1 effective to treat the subject.

Specifically, the method treating of the present invention is effective in inhibiting monosodium urate crystals (MSU) or calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (CPPD)-induced activation of NLRP3 intiammasome. More specifically, the method of treating of the present invention is effective in inhibiting MSU or CPPD induced interleukin (IL) 1β production through NLRP3 inflammasome.

In some embodiments, ginsenoside M1 is administered by parenteral or enteral route.

The present invention also provides use of ginsenoside M1 in manufacturing a medicament for treatment of gout in a subject in need.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the description below. Other features or advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments, and also from the appending claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments shown. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows that mouse J774A.1 macrophages were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 30 min with or without 1 μg/ml LPS in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to MSU alone.

FIG. 2 shows that mouse J774A.1 macrophages were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 30 min with or without 1 μg/ml LPS in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml CPPD. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to CPPD alone.

FIG. 3 shows that mouse J774A.1 macrophages were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1. The levels of NLRP3 and proIL-1 in the cell lysates were measured by Western blot.

FIG. 4 shows that human THP-1 macrophages were incubated for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS, then for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, in the continued presence or absence of LPS, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. * and *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively compared to MSU alone.

FIG. 5 shows that human THP-1 macrophages were incubated for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS, then for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, in the continued presence or absence of LPS, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of TNF-α in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. * and *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively compared to MSU alone.

FIG. 6 shows that human THP-1 macrophages were incubated for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS, then for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, in the continued presence or absence of LPS, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of IL-6 in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to MSU alone.

FIG. 7 shows that the levels of IL-1β in the peritoneal fluids isolated from control mice, MSU-injected mice and Ginsenoside M1 oral administered plus MSU-injected mice were measured by ELISA. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to MSU-injection group.

FIG. 8 shows that the levels of IL-6 in the peritoneal fluids isolated from control mice, MSU-injected mice and Ginsenoside M1 oral administered plus MSU-injected mice were measured by ELISA. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to MSU-injection group.

FIG. 9 shows that the levels of neutrophil in the peritoneal fluids isolated from control mice, MSU-injected mice and Ginsenoside M1 oral administered plus MSU-injected mice were measured by flow cytometry. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to MSU-injection group.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the meaning commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. As used herein, the following terms have the meanings ascribed to them unless specified otherwise.

The articles “a” and “an” are used herein to refer to one or more than one (i.e., at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. By way of example, “an element” means one element or more than one element.

IL-1β is one of the important cytokines rapidly synthesized in an inactive immature form (precursor of IL-1β, proIL-1β) via transcriptional activation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages (Hsu and Wen, 2002). Unlike that of other cytokines, secretion of mature IL-1β requires processing of its precursor form proIL-1β by caspase-1, a cysteine protease (Miller et al., 1997). IL-1β release is controlled by caspase-1-containing multi-protein complexes called NLRP3 inflammasome, which controls caspase-1 activity and IL-1β release (Cassel et al., 2011; Jin and Flavell, 2010). Full activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome requires both a priming signal from LPS-stimulated TLR4 and an activation signal from a second stimulus, e.g. monosodium urate crystals (MSU), the former controlling the expression of NLRP3 and proIL-1β and the latter controlling caspase-1 activation (Martinon et al., 2009; Schroder and Tschopp, 2010; Davis et al., 2011; Cassel et al., 2011; Jin and Flavell, 2010). Gout and pseudogout are inflammatory arthritis characterized by abrupt self-limiting attacks of inflammation caused by precipitation of MSU and calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (CPPD) crystals respectively in the joint. A strong link between the NLRP3 inflammasome and the development of inflammatory disease is becoming increasingly evident. Recent studies indicate that interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a key regulatory proinflammatory cytokine in gout gout pathogenesis (Martin et al., 2009; Torres et al., 2009; Terkeltaub et al., 2009; McGonagle et al., 2007; So et al., 2007). It has been demonstrated that MSU activates NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent IL-1β secretion from macrophages (Martinon et al., 2006). Clinically, gout is associated with oedema and erythema of the joints, with consequent severe pain, conditions that are associated with strong infiltration of neutrophils in the intra-articular and peri-articular spaces. An impaired neutrophil influx is found in an in vivo model of crystal-induced peritonitis in NLRP3 inflammasome-deficient mice or mice deficient in the IL-1β receptor (Martinon et al., 2006). A working model in which MSU activates NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent IL-1β secretion from macrophages has been established to study gout pathogenesis (Martinon et al., 2006). Inhibition of MSU-induced NLRP3 inflammsome activation and IL-1β production prevents and mitigates gout.

In the present invention, it is unexpectedly found that ginsenoside M1 has anti-gout effects, at least including that ginsenoside M1 can reduce MSU-induced IL-1β production (FIG. 1) and CPPD-induced IL-1β production (FIG. 2) and also LPS-induced NLRP3 and proIL-1β expression (FIG. 3) in macrophages. These results indicate that LCHK168 can prevent and mitigate gout.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for treating gout in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to the subject an amount of ginsenoside M1 effective to treat the subject. The present invention also provides use of ginsenoside M1 in manufacturing a medicament for treatment of gout in a subject in need.

Particular, the method of treating is effective in inhibiting MSU or CPPD-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. More particularly, the method of treating is effective in inhibiting MSU or CPPD-induced IL-1β production through NLRP3 inflammasome.

Ginsenoside M1, 20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol, is one of saponin metabolites known in the art. The chemical structure of ginsenoside M1 is as follows:

Ginsenoside M1 is known as one metabolite of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides via the gypenoside pathway by human gut bacteria. Ginsenoside M1 can be found in blood or urine after intake. Ginsenoside M1 may be prepared from ginseng plants through fungi fermentation by methods known in the art, such as Taiwan Patent Application No. 094116005 (I280982) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,057, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments, the ginseng plants for preparing the ginsenoside M1 include Araliaceae family, Panax genus, e.g. P. ginseng and P. pseudo-ginseng (also named Sanqi). In general, the method of preparation of ginsenoside M1 includes the steps of (a) providing powder of ginseng plant materials (e.g. leaves or stems); (b) providing a fungus for fermenting the ginseng plant materials, wherein the fermentation temperature is ranged from 20-50° C., the fermentation humidity is ranged from 70-100%, the pH value is ranged from 4.0-6.0, and the fermentation period is ranged from 5-15 days; (c) extracting and collecting the fermentation products; and (d) isolating 20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol from the fermentation products.

When ginsenoside M1 is described as “isolated” or “purified” in the present invention, it should be understood as not absolutely isolated or purified, but relatively isolated or purified. For example, purified ginsenoside M1 refers to one that is more purified compared to its naturally existing form. In one embodiment, a preparation comprising purified ginsenoside M1 may comprise ginsenoside M1 in an amount of more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80%, more than 90%, or 100% (w/w) of the total preparation. It should be understood that when a certain number was used herein to show a ratio or dosage, said number generally includes that within the range of 10% more and less, or more specifically, the scope of 5% more and less than the number.

The term “individual” or “subject” used herein includes human and non-human animals such as companion animals (such as dogs, cats and the like), farm animals (such as cows, sheep, pigs, horses and the like), or laboratory animals (such as rats, mice, guinea pigs and the like).

The term “treating” as used herein refers to the application or administration of a composition including one or more active agents to a subject afflicted with a disorder, a symptom or conditions of the disorder, a progression of the disorder or at risk of developing the disorder, with the purpose to cure, heal, alleviate, relieve, alter, remedy, ameliorate, improve, or affect the disorder, the symptoms or conditions of the disorder, the disabilities induced by the disorder, or the onset or progression of the disorder.

The term “therapeutically effective amount” used herein refers to the amount of an active ingredient to confer a therapeutic effect in a treated subject. For example, an effective amount for treating gout is an amount that can inhibit MSU or CPPD-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, more particularly, an amount that can inhibit MSU or CPPD-induced interleukin 1β production through NLRP3 inflammasome.

The therapeutically effective amount may change depending on various reasons, such as administration route and frequency, body weight and species of the individual receiving said pharmaceutical, and purpose of administration. Persons skilled in the art may determine the dosage in each case based on the disclosure herein, established methods, and their own experience. For example, in certain embodiments, the oral dosage of ginsenoside M1 used in the present invention is 10 to 1,000 mg/kg daily. In some examples, the oral the oral dosage of ginsenoside M1 used in the present invention is 100 to 300 mg/kg daily, 50 to 150 mg/kg daily, 25 to 100 mg/kg daily, 10 to 50 mg/kg daily, or 5 to 30 mg/kg daily. In addition, in some embodiments of the invention, ginsenoside M1 is administered periodically for a certain period of time, for example, daily administration for at least 15 days, one month or two months or longer.

According to the present invention, ginsenoside M1 may be used as an active ingredient for treating gout. In one embodiment, a therapeutically effective amount of the active ingredient may be formulated with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier into a pharmaceutical composition of an appropriate form for the purpose of delivery and absorption. Depending on the mode of administration, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention preferably comprises about 0.1% by weight to about 100% by weight of the active ingredient, wherein the percentage by weight is calculated based on the weight of the whole composition.

As used herein, “pharmaceutically acceptable” means that the carrier is compatible with the active ingredient in the composition, and preferably can stabilize said active ingredient and is safe to the individual receiving the treatment. Said carrier may be a diluent, vehicle, excipient, or matrix to the active ingredient. Some examples of appropriate excipients include lactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbose, mannose, starch, Arabic gum, calcium phosphate, alginates, tragacanth gum, gelatin, calcium silicate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose, sterilized water, syrup, and methylcellulose. The composition may additionally comprise lubricants, such as talc, magnesium stearate, and mineral oil; wetting agents; emulsifying and suspending agents; preservatives, such as methyl and propyl hydroxybenzoates; sweeteners; and flavoring agents. The composition of the present invention can provide the effect of rapid, continued, or delayed release of the active ingredient after administration to the patient.

According to the present invention, the form of said composition may be tablets, pills, powder, lozenges, packets, troches, elixers, suspensions, lotions, solutions, syrups, soft and hard gelatin capsules, suppositories, sterilized injection fluid, and packaged powder.

The composition of the present invention may be delivered via any physiologically acceptable route, such as oral, parenteral (such as intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous, and intraperitoneal), transdermal, suppository, and intranasal methods. Regarding parenteral administration, it is preferably used in the form of a sterile water solution, which may comprise other substances, such as salts or glucose sufficient to make the solution isotonic to blood. The water solution may be appropriately buffered (preferably with a pH value of 3 to 9) as needed. Preparation of an appropriate parenteral composition under sterile conditions may be accomplished with standard pharmacological techniques well known to persons skilled in the art, and no extra creative labor is required.

According to the present invention, ginsenoside M1 or compositions comprising ginsenoside M1 as the active ingredient may be used in treating individuals with gout or at risk of gout. Specifically, ginsenoside M1 or compositions comprising ginsenoside M1 as the active ingredient may be administered to individuals with gout or individuals at the risk of acquiring gout, by inhibiting MSU or CPPD-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, so as to prevent occurrence of the disease or improve the symptoms or delay deterioration of the symptoms.

The present invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which are provided for the purpose of demonstration rather than limitation.

Example

1. Materials and Methods

Ginsenoside M1, 20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (named LCHK168 below), was prepared by methods known in the art, such as those described in Taiwan Patent Application No. 094116005 (1280982) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,057.

MSU were prepared by crystallization of a supersaturated solution of uric acid under mildly basic conditions. Briefly, 250 mg uric acid (Sigma; cat. No. U2875) was added to 45 ml of double-distilled water containing 300 μl of 5M NaOH, and the solution was boiled until the uric acid was dissolved. The solution was passed through a 0.2-μM filter, and 1 ml of 5M NaCl was added to the hot solution, which was then stored at 26° C. After 7 days the resulting MSU crystals were washed with ethanol and acetone. The resulting triclinic, needle-shaped MSU crystals were 5-25 μm in length and were birefringent to polarized light. All MSU crystals were determined to be endotoxin free (<0.01 EU/10 mg) by Limulus amebocyte cell lysate assay.

The mouse macrophages cell line J774A.1 and human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Rockville, Md.) and cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 2 mM L-glutamine (all from Life Technologies, Carlsbad, Calif.) at 37° C. in a 5% CO₂ incubator. To induce monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation, THP-1 cells were cultured for 48 h in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 100 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (Sigma-Aldrich).

In FIGS. 1 and 2, J774A.1 macrophages (1×10⁵ cells/500 μl medium/well) were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 30 min with or without 1 μg/ml LPS (from Escherichia coli 0111:B4, purchased from Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU or 100 μg/ml CPPD (all purchased from InvivoGen, San Diego, Calif.). The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA.

In FIG. 3, J774A.1 macrophages (2×10⁶ cells/2 ml medium/dish) were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS (from Escherichia coli 0111:B4, purchased from Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1. The levels of NLRP3 and proIL-1β in the cell lysates were measured by Western blot. In brief, After treatment, the cells were collected and lysed at 4° C. in lysis buffer (25 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 100 mM NaCl, 2.5 mM EDTA, 2.5 mM EGTA, 20 mM NaF, 1 mM Na₃VO₄, 20 mM sodium β-glycerophosphate, 10 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 0.5% Triton X-100) containing protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.), then the whole cell lysate was separated by SDS-PAGE and electrotransferred to a PVDF membrane. The membranes were incubated for 1 h at room temperature in blocking solution (5% nonfat milk in phosphate buffered saline with 0.1% Tween 20), then were incubated for 2 h at room temperature with NLRP3 or proIL-1β antibody in blocking solution. After three washes in PBS with 0.1% Tween 20, the membrane was incubated for 1 h at room temperature with HRP-conjugated secondary antibody in blocking buffer and developed using an enhanced chemiluminescence Western blot detection system.

In FIG. 4-6, THP-1 macrophages (1×10⁵ cells/500 μl medium/well) were incubated for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS, then for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, in the continued presence or absence of LPS, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA.

In FIG. 7-9, the animal experiments were conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of National Ilan University. Male C57BL/6 mice were purchased from the National Laboratory Animal Center (Taipei, Taiwan). The animals were provided a chow diet and water ad libitum under conditions of 22-24° C., 40-70% relative humidity, and a 12 h light-dark cycle. Ginsenoside M1 (60 mg/kg body weight) was oral administered daily by gavage at day 0, 1 and 2. Acute gout inflammation was induced by intraperitoneal injection each mice with 3 mg of MSU in 0.5 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at day 0 and day 2 1 h after Ginsenoside M1 administration. Control mice received 0.5 mL PBS without MSU (n=6). After 4 h, all mice were sacrificed using neck breaking, and the mice were intraperitoneally injected with 5 mL of PBS. The peritoneal fluid was then collected, and the volume of peritoneal fluid was about 4 mL from each mouse. The collected peritoneal exudate cells were washed and resuspended in PBS. The cells were stained with fluorescent antibodies against the neutrophils specific surface markers Ly-6G and CD45 (eBioscience, San Diego, Calif., USA) for 20 min at 37° C. in the dark, and the cell populations were sorted using a FACScan flow cytometer (Becton-Dickinson, San Jose, Calif.). The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in the peritoneal fluid were measured by ELISA.

For ELISA assay, 50 μl of biotinylated antibody reagent and 50 μl of culture medium were added to an anti-mouse IL-1β or IL-6 precoated stripwell plate, and incubated at room temperature for 2 h. After washing the plate three times with washing buffer, 100 μl of diluted streptavidin-HRP (horseradish peroxidase) concentrate was added to each well and incubated at room temperature for 30 min. The washing process was repeated; then 100 μl of a premixed tetramethylbenzidine substrate solution was added to each well and developed at room temperature in the dark for 30 min. Following the addition of 100 μl of provided stop solution to each well to stop the reaction, the absorbance of the plate was measured by a microplate reader at a 450 nm wavelength.

2. Results

2.1 Ginsenoside M1 Reduces MSU-Induced IL-1β Production in J774A.1 Macrophages.

Mouse J774A.1 macrophages were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 30 min with or without 1 μg/ml LPS in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. As shown in FIG. 1, the results showed that Ginsenoside M1 reduced IL-1β secretion, indicating that Ginsenoside M1 reduces gout-associated inflammation. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to MSU alone.

2.2 Ginsenoside M1 Reduces CPPD-Induced IL-1β Production in J774A.1 Macrophages.

Mouse J774A.1 macrophages were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 30 min with or without 1 μg/ml LPS in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml CPPD. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. As shown in FIG. 2, the results showed that Ginsenoside M1 reduced IL-1β secretion, indicating that Ginsenoside M1 reduces gout-associated inflammation. *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.001 compared to CPPD alone.

2.3 Ginsenoside M1 Reduces LPS-Induced NLRP3 and proIL-1β Expression.

J774A.1 macrophages were incubated for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, then for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS in the continued presence or absence of Ginsenoside M1. The levels of NLRP3 and proIL-1β in the cell lysates were measured by Western blot. As shown in FIG. 3, the results showed that Ginsenoside M1 reduced the levels of NLRP3 and proIL-1β in LPS-activated J774A.1 macrophages.

In summary, our study shows that Ginsenoside M1 is effective in reducing MSU-induced IL-1β production (FIG. 1) and CPPD-induced IL-1β production (FIG. 2) and also LPS-induced NLRP3 and proIL-1β expression (FIG. 3) in macrophages. These findings indicate that Ginsenoside M1 is effective in preventing and mitigating gout.

2.4 Ginsenoside M1 Reduces MSU-Induced IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 Production in THP-1 Macrophages.

To confirm the anti-inflammatory activities of Ginsenoside M1, human THP-1 macrophages were incubated for 6 h with or without 1 μg/ml LPS, then for 30 min with or without Ginsenoside M1, in the continued presence or absence of LPS, and then for 24 h with or without 100 μg/ml MSU. The levels of IL-1β in the culture medium were measured by ELISA. As shown in FIG. 4-6, the results showed that Ginsenoside M1 reduced IL-1β production (FIG. 4), TNF-α production (FIG. 5) and IL-6 production (FIG. 6), indicating that Ginsenoside M1 reduces gout-associated inflammation in human macrophages. * and *** indicates a significant difference at the level of p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively compared to MSU alone.

2.5 Ginsenoside M1 Reduces MSU-Induced Peritonitis In Vivo.

Intraperitoneal injection of MSU significantly increased IL-1β (FIG. 7) and IL-6 (FIG. 8) production in the murine peritoneal fluid compared with the control mice. The oral administration of Ginsenoside M1 significantly reduced MSU-induced IL-1β (FIG. 7) and IL-6 (FIG. 8) production in the murine peritoneal fluid. MSU also significantly stimulated the population of Ly-6G+ neutrophils, and Ginsenoside M1 significantly reduces the levels of MSU-induced Ly-6G+ neutrophils (FIG. 9).

It is believed that a person of ordinary knowledge in the art where the present invention belongs can utilize the present invention to its broadest scope based on the descriptions herein with no need of further illustration. Therefore, the descriptions and claims as provided should be understood as of demonstrative purpose instead of limitative in any way to the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCES

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We claim:
 1. A method of treating gout comprising administering to a subject having gout an amount of ginsenoside M1 effective to treat the subject.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method of treating is effective in inhibiting monosodium urate crystals (MSU) or calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (CPPD)-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method of treating is effective in inhibiting MSU or CPPD-induced interleukin 1β production through NLRP3 inflammasome.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ginsenoside M1 is administered by parenteral or enteral route. 